UK commuters turn to mobile gaming to relax, says Candy Crush developer King

Candy Crush developer King has published the results of a new survey that suggests players in the UK turn to mobile gaming to “help relax and unwind” on the Christmas commute.

The report – which polled 1500 commuters from across the UK between November 18-20th – revealed 46 per cent of commuting Brits say the commute gives them “much needed me time”, particularly as stress levels rise for 75 per cent of people travelling during the holiday season. Of the people polled, 37 per cent reported they turned to mobile games whilst commuting – the second most popular commuting activity after listening to music or podcasts – and over half said they did so to relax and unwind. 

“Tis the season to be merry!” the developer said in a press release. “Except when you are on the commute… New research from King, makers of hit mobile game franchise, Candy Crush, reveals that as the holidays approach and the Christmas decorations go up, the daily commute gets busier and our stress levels increase.”

“The stress of the daily commute, made worse by seasonal shoppers, is something that we can neither physically avoid nor change, and so the best remedy is some form of mental distraction,” said psychologist Donna Dawson. “A good example of this is ‘mobile gaming’, which offers the perfect opportunity to distract, relax and de-stress ourselves. It not only puts us more in control of what is happening to us, but it also enables us to capture a few moments of the working day for ourselves.”

“It’s great to see so many people turning to mobile gaming as a way of blocking out the stress and chaos that comes with commuting – particularly during the festive period,” added Marcus Lewold, head of the Candy Crush franchise at King. “Candy Crush Saga continues to be the go-to game for millions of people. It’s designed for sweet snackable gameplay, providing that perfect escape from the festive mayhem by bringing bite-sized moments of fun to commuters across the UK every day on their mobiles.”

Candy Crush Soda Saga has grossed more than $2 billion in lifetime revenue. According to a recent report, King’s match-3 blockbuster has amassed 410m first-time installs since it released in 2014, across both the App Store and Google Play. It’s most popular in India and the U.S., the latter of which generated over half that revenue alone.

“King’s pop-themed match-three—the second oldest title in its sugary Candy Crush series—is especially popular in America, having accumulated $1.1 billion (55 per cent) of its revenue in the U.S. alone,” analysts Sensor Tower said. “For comparison, Great Britain, which came in second place for player spending, has contributed $135 million, or just under 7 per cent, of Soda Saga’s lifetime revenue.”